116 years of football, first No. 1 ranking

Melinda Waldrop, mwaldrop@dailypress.com | 247-4634

Jimmye Laycock has accomplished a lot of things in 31 years as head coach at William and Mary. His 207 victories rank sixth among all active Football Championship Subdivision coaches. His teams have made 12 playoff appearances, including two national semifinal trips in the past six seasons, and two years ago, the Tribe's $11 million football center was named in his honor.

He's never been the coach of a No. 1 team, however.

That changed Monday, when William and Mary received 105 first-place votes to claim the No. 1 ranking in The Sports Network/Fathead.com Top 25 poll. The Tribe, 7-2 overall and 5-1 in the Colonial Athletic Association, is No. 2 in the FCS coaches' poll, the other major I-AA measuring stick.

The No. 1 ranking is the first in William and Mary's 116 years of football.

"I think it's great recognition for our players and coaches, even though there's still a lot of this season left to be played," Laycock said. "It certainly does bring some notoriety to the program and it's a good thing for our players and coaches, but we all know how quick that can change. We stay in our mode and are working from week to week."

"We're a resilient team," Laycock said. "We play hard and we compete. As long as we do that, then we'll take what happens."

Delaware (8-1, 5-1 CAA) is No. 2 in The Sports Network poll and received 31 first-place votes, followed by Appalachian State, No. 1 all season before losing to Georgia Southern this past Saturday, and Jacksonville State, also undefeated before losing to Eastern Kentucky.

The Tribe, ranked No. 4 by TSN and No. 5 in the coaches' poll last week, surprised at least one William and Mary student with its ascent to the top spot.

"Are we really No. 1? Because if we are, that is pretty cool," Baum said. "I know we beat New Hampshire last week with our fourth-string quarterback, and we've been playing pretty well."

William and Mary began 2010 as the preseason No. 1 pick of college analyst Phil Steele before losing its season opener at CAA foe Massachusetts, ranked 14th in this week's TSN poll. The Tribe then won six games in a row before falling 21-17 at I-A opponent North Carolina on Oct. 30 in a game it led with five minutes to play.

The Tribe has beaten three top-10 teams for the first time in school history, beginning with a 31-24 win against then-No. 1 Villanova on Oct. 2. William and Mary also defeated No. 2 Delaware 17-16 on Oct. 23 before beating No. 8 New Hampshire this past Saturday.

The Tribe, on track for a second straight playoff trip after losing to eventual national champion Villanova in the FCS semifinals last season, closes the regular season at home against No. 21 Richmond on Nov. 20.

"It's great to see William and Mary get the national recognition it deserves," William and Mary senior Ian Brickey said. "Hopefully the team can live up to those expectations."